Process of forming storage-battery separators.



H. L. BUYER. PROCESS OF FORMING STORAGE BATTERY SEPARATORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1917.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- H. L, BUYER.

PROCESS OF FORMING STORAGE BATTERY SEPARATORS.

'APPLICATION FILED MAY 5 1917.

1,297,645 Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- F@ .3. 22 j I mu u 11mm f u, T6021 OZZY? .1

H. L. BUYER.

PROCESS OF FORMING STORAGE BATTERY SEPARATORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1911.

1,297,645. Patented Mar. 18,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- WEB STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

HARRY L. BOYER, 0F TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO OSEPH STOKES RUBBER COMPANY, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF FORMING STORAGE-BATTERY SEPARATORS.

T 0 all whom, it may com-em Be it known that I. HARRY L. Born, a citizen of the United States. residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercerand State of New Jersey, have in ented a certain new.

and useful Improvement in Processes of Forming Storage- Battery Separators, of which the following is a full. clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a process of forming storage battery separators, and particularly to the process of forming ribbed separators from separator plates formed wholly or partially of rubber.

()ne of the chief objects of the invention is to effect a considerable saving of time over that heretofore required in the vulcanizing and rib applying steps of the prior processes and additionally to apply the ribs more satisfactorily and effectively. Still further the invention aims to provide a process by which more efficient and more durable ribbed separators are provided than with the processes used heretofore.

In accordance with my invention in one of its aspects, the separators are ribbed and vulcanized in the same process carried on as one continuous operation. This is accomplished by passing or conveying the separators through a vulcanizing chamber and while they are passing through the chamber and are being vulcanized, forming the ribs therein.

In accordance with my invention in another aspect, ribs are applied to separator plates formed wholly or partially of rubber by pressing into the plates rib forming material, preferably in the form of rubber coated fibrous cords which are thoroughly vulcanized to the plates at the same time that the latter are being vulcanized. By my process carried out in its preferred form, the cords are squeezed into or partially embedded in the plates so as to distend or force the plates outwardly opposite the cords thereby providing ribs on both sides of the separators.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain combinations of steps of the improved method which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Application filed May 5, 1917. Serial No. 166,728.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings 1 have shown several different ways of carry- 1n g out my invention, and in the drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional view with parts in elevation showing one form of apparatus which may be employed very effectively for carrying out my invention in its preferred form; Fig. is a horizontal sectional View with parts in elevation; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a sectional view substantially along the line.55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a sectional view substan tially along the line 66 of Fig. 1; Figs. '7, 8, 9 and 10 are transverse sectional views through storage battery separators which may be made by the process; Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modification of the apparatus which may be employed; Fig. 12 is a transverse sectional view through the same; Fig. 13 is a face View of one of the mold blocks grooved and slotted for the reception of rib forming cord which is shown applied to the block so that it may be vulcanized to a storage battery plate; Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a similar plate, but elongated so that it may accommodate more than one separator plate; Fig. 15 shows in end elevation, the upper mold block, the lower mold block and the storage battery separator after it has been molded and vulcanized between these blocks, the parts being separated to illustrate the construction; and Fig. 16 is an enlarged view through one of the frames which accommodates a stack of mold blocks and separator plates placed between the pairs of blocks. this view showing the manner in which the separator plates and blocks are arranged in piles or stacks as they are con-- veyed through the vulcanizing chamber of Fig. 11.

Referring now to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6. 20 represents a vulcanizing chamber through which the separator plates are conveyed while being ribbed and vulcanized. This chamber 20 may be heated in any suitable manner, as for example, by steam which is designed to circulate through shown aremade hollow to receive the heating agent. In this chamber 20 there is a lower endless chain 21, composed of pivotally connected mold and conveying blocks 21, and an upper endless chain-22 of mold blocks 22. These two endless chains are driven in unison so that the blocks travel at preciselythe same speed, and they areso arranged that the lower branch. or section of the upper chain is immediately above a portion of the upper branch or section ofv the lower chain. It is between these sections of the upper and lower chains that the separator plates are compressed and-molded as they are conveyed from the inletlend to-1 ward the right to the outlet end fofthe chamber. As the blocks of the twochains have grooves which *must exactly register, the blocks of the two cooperating or adjacent sections of the two chains are held from relative movement when they are traveling in a straight line with the separator sections between them. This can be accomplished by means of centering dowel pins or equivalent means, such for example, as lugs 21 on the blocks of the lower chain, which lugs receive between them and center the blocks of the lower section of the upper chain.

The blocks 21 of the lower chain 21 are pivotally connected together by bolts 21, and preferably surrounding the connecting bolts are rollers 21 This chain travels around supporting and driving sprocket wheels 2 1 and 21, supported on transverse shafts 21 and 21", these sprockets having peripheral grooves which receive rollers 21 to form positive driving engagement between the sprocket wheels and the blocks of the chain. Power may be applied by any suitable means to one of the shafts 21 or 21 to drive the chain 21. These rollers 21 have a function other than to form the driving engagement just mentioned, because a after passing the front sprocket 21, the

blocks ride over a horizontal supporting surface consisting preferably of horizontal rails 23 which are engaged by the rollers 21. These rails rigidly support the upper and lower blocks while they are supporting, conveying and molding the separators, and while the latter are being vulcanized to harden the separators and to attach thereto the rib forming material. Preferably the rails 23 are on the upper side of a hollow heated chamber 23 from which heat radiates to assist in the vulcanization.

The blocks of the upper chain 22 are pivotally connected together in the same manlner as are the blocks of the lower chain, but the blocks 22 of the upper chain are preferably shorter than the blocks of the lower chain so as to permit the use of relatively small driving and supporting sprocket wheels 22 and .22 which are supported on transverse shafts similar to the shafts 21 and 21, and to one of which power will be applied to drive the chain 22 at the same lineal speed as the lower chain. blocks 22 are, however, made very heavy so that as they press down onto the separator plates which are between the blocks 21* and 22, the desired molding efiects will be secured.

It will be observed from Fig. 1 that the upper part of the chamber 20 is somewhat shorter than the lower part, the portion of the casing above the chain 21 terminating a short distance beyond the front sprocket 21 so as to leave a short section of the lower chain 21 exposed at the inlet or supply end of the chamber. This is done in order that the separator plates may be placed on the upper faces of the blocks 21 of the lower chain 21 as said blocks pass around the front sprocket 21 and assume a horizontal position. At the inlet end of the chamber there is provided a table 24 on which separator plates 25 may be stacked in convenient position to enable the operator to place them on the blocks 21 as they come up around the sprocket 21.

The separator plates 25 will be formed wholly or partially of rubber. If formed entirely ofrubber they will consist of rubber plates or sheets previously cut to the proper dimensions, and perforated to pro- These vide porosity. If they are formed partially of rubber they may consist of plates composed of rubber and fibrous material with the .latter extending transversely through the plates togive the desired porosity.

These plates are slightly shorter than the blocks 21, and if the blocks 21 are of a width such as to accommodate a single separator plate, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the latter will generally be slightly narrower than the blocks 21". While in the drawings these blocks are of a width such that each block will accommodate and carry a single sepa-' under the upper blocks 22 which fit in between the lugs 21 so as to be centered on the lower blocks, and until the plates pass out from beneath the blocks at the outlet end of the machine they are held down firmly by the weight of the upper blocks which are virtually locked to, and travel as a unit with the lower blocks while the separator plates are between them. It will be observed that the upper portion of the chamber 20 is closed at each end by a flexible flap 26 which permits very little heat to escape, but nevertheless allows the separators to be admitted to and. to pass from the chamber.

While the separators are passing through the chamber and are being vulcanized, ribs or uneven surfaces are formed on the plates so that they will in the most effective manner space apart the positive and negative plates of storage batteries. The ribs or uneven surfaces may be applied in numerous ways, as for example, by corrugating the plates, as shown at 30 in Fig. 7, 1n WhlCh event ribs and grooves are provided on both sides, or by molding ribs on one side only, as shown at 31 in Fig. 8, in which event portions or sections of the plates are forced down into grooves of the blocks of one chain by the action of suitably shaped and positioned ribs on the blocks of the other chain.

The ribs may be formed either as in Figs. 7 and 8 by properly grooving and ribbing the faces of the blocks of the two chains. Preferably the blocks of both chains have removable faces into which the ribs or grooves are formed, this being illustrated in a number of the detail views of Sheet 2 of the drawings. By having the removable grooved and ribbed faces on the blocks, the faces can-be removed and replaced with others when it is desired to vary the design of the finished separators, or in case the faces become worn or broken and need replacement. It will be understood, of course, that while the separators are passing through the machine between the blocks of the two chains, the grooves and ribs on the opposing faces of the blocks are held in absolute registration as long as they are acting on or compressing the separators which are being ribbed and vulcanized.

Preferably, however, the ribs are formed wholly or partially by rib forming material which is applied and vulcanized to the plates as they are passing through the vulcanizing chamber.

I may form the ribs on one side of the separators by applying rib material to that side while the opposite side is left flat, so as to produce a separator as illustrated at .32 in Fig. 9. Vhen separators of this type are formed, the faces of the blocks 21 of the lower chain will be smooth and flat while the faces of the blocks 22* of the upper chain will be grooved to accommodate the rib forming material which will be pressed down onto the separators by the upper blocks with suflicient pressure to cause the rib material to be very effectively vulcanized to the plates as they themselves are being vulcanized.

I prefer, however, by means of the rib forming material and by the proper provision of grooves in the faces of the two series of blocks to form ribs on both sides of the separators as shown at 33 in Fig. 10. To accomplish this, the rib forming material is squeezed or pressed into the separator plates by the upper blocks which are grooved to about one-half the depth or thickness of the rib material, and at the same time the separator plates are squeezed or pressed down into grooves of the lower blocks with the result that the rib material which projects beyond one face of the separator forms ribs on that face, and the portions or sections of the separator itself, dis tended or pressed outward from the other face of the separator form ribs on said opposite face. The grooves in the faces of the lower and upper blocks utilized in accomplishin this result are shown respectively at 21 an 22.

For the rib forming material utilized in forming the ribs ofthe separators shown in either Figs. 9 or 10, I prefer to employ rub ber coated or covered cord or fibrous material in the form of strands and having considerable inherent strength. The rubber covered cords will be supplied in parallel rows, the number of which will depend on the number of ribs to be applied to each separator, and also to the number of separators which are supported side by side on each lower block, assuming that each block is of a sufficient size to accommodate a series of separators arranged side by side crosswise of the vulcanizing chamber. In the drawings, four ribs are shown as applied to the separators, in which event four parallel strands of cord will be supplied to the vulcanizing chamber.

In carrying out my process I may supply to the chamber, and hence to the separator plates being treated either cords or rib material previously rubberized or rubber coated and unwound from suitably positioned reels, or the cords may be coated at or adjacent the machine as fast as they are supplied to the separator plates. In F ig. 1 I have shown how the cords may be rubberized or rubber coated immediately before they are fed and attached to the separators, and by referring to this view it will be seen that the cords shown at 31 are unwound from reels or drums 35, and from the latter pass through a rubberizing chamber 36 containing rubber cement or solution such as may be formed by dissolving rubber in a suitable solvent. After passing throu h the solution the cords pass through wiplng dies 37 which remove the excess rubber, and then they pass through a drying chamber 38, then up over a' grooved roller or drum 39, then forwardly and downwardly over a grooved drum 40 located near the front of the machine, then downwardly around a grooved drum 41 which is located in the vulcanizing chamber just behind the front flap 26, and in such position with respect to the rails 23, that as the separators 25 placed on the blocks 21 pass beneath the drum 41, the cords covered with the more or less sticky rubber are laidlarly of the drum 41 are spaced in accordance with the desired spacing of the r bs of.

the separator plates. Then when the separator plates with the cords" attached thereto in the manner just explained, pass under the blocks 22 of the upper chain, the cords enter or are received in the grooves of the upper blocksand are by the latter squeezed down into the plates causing the portions of the plates opposite the cords to be squeezed down into the grooves of the lower blocks in the manner previously explained, thus providing ribs on both sides of the plates. Of course, and as before stated, if separators of the type shown in Fig. 9 are being formed, the upper blocks press the cords firmly down onto the flat faces of the separator plates which in turn are thus pressed down onto the flat faces of the lower blocks. In any event, and regardless of the type of separator that is being produced, or, the type of ribs that are being formed by the rib material, as the separators and rib material pass through the machine, the latter are very thoroughly vulcanized to the plates at the same time that the latter are vulcanized.

It might be here stated that this method produces an exceedingly effective separator, the ribs being not fragile and easily broken or easily detached from the plates. In fact, the ribs made of the separator material and in the manner explained, give the separators considerable strengthvwhich they would not have if ribs formed wholly of rubber were being applied.

The separators formed in this manner -when removed from the machine are connected together by the cords, and they must subsequently be cut apart by severing the cords between the separators; This can be done as. the separators leave the vulcanizing chamber, or. they can be allowed to pile up in the form of a stack or series of connected separators as shown in Fig. 1, in which event they will be cut apart and'the loose ends of the cords trimmed if necessary at a subsequent time and by any suitable apparatus.

Separators made in the manner above explained, have a tendency to cling very tightly to the faces of the blocks, and I therefore prefer to provide suitable means at the outlet end of the vulcanizing chamber to forcibly separate the separators from the blocks, and this is accomplished in this case by a pair of stripper rollers 45 and 46 which'have toothed or roughened surfaces and between which the separators pass, the action of these rollers being to pull the. connected separators off the grooved faces of the blocks. -Additionally I may provide beyond the stripper as they leave the machine. The stripping rollers may be gearedtogether so as to rotate in unison and at the same peripheral ee'd, and the same is true of the trimming ro lers.

As an additional feature I prefer to. provide at the. bottom of the vulcanizin chamber, at any suitable point, cleaningi 50,.which engage and clean 06' the faces of the blocks 21. 'As shown, these brushes are supported in the walls of a receptacle 51 which is preferably provided with a soapy cleaning solution, and thus brush and clean off the faces of the blocks small particles or pieces of rubber which may have become attached to the faces of the blocks.

The two endless chains and various drums and other rotating parts may be driven in any desired manner and by any suitable means. As the means for driving these parts may be varied asdesired, and in reality is not material to my invention, it is not shown in detail; t

In Figs. 11 to 16 I have shown apparatus for carrying out themethod of making the separator of Fig. 10, which method while in certain respects difl'erent from the method employed with the apparatus of Fig. 1, has

rushes certain features in common therewith, es-

pecially the feature of ribbing and vulcanizingthe plates in the same operation which is carried on in a continuous and uninterrupted manner.

In the apparatus now under consideration there is a vulcanizing chamber 60 provided at its ends with flexible flaps 61 for the ingress and egress of frames carrying groups of molding and ribbing blocks and intermediate separators. At the base of the chamber 60 are rails 62 over which travels the upper part of an endless conveyer 63, composed of blocks 63 linked or pivotally connected together, and traveling about sprocket wheels 64 and 65. These sprocket wheels are located adjacent the ends-of the chamber, the upper section of the conveyer extending through the lower part of the chamber and traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow, from left to right, while the lower section travels in the reverse direction indicated by the arrow underneath the chamber. At the forward or inlet end of the apparatus is a receiving table 65, and at the outlet end a delivery table 66.

In this case the endless chain 63 serves simply as a conveyer to convey through the plates will be vulcanized and the ribs will be ormed by the use of rubber coated cord as in the prior method, and at. the same time the cords forming the ribs will be vulcanized to the separator plates. The frames containing the blocks and separator plates will be moved, one at a time, from the receiving table onto the end of the chain which extends beyond the left end of the chamber 60, and finally after passing through the chamber they will be removed from the end of the chain which extends beyond the right hand end of the chamber onto the delivery table 66.

For each separator plate I employ two cooperating blocks, namely a lower block and an upper block 71. The lower block has grooves 70" into which portions of the separator plate are pressed by the action of the upper block and the cord which is utilized in forming the ribs, and the upper block has grooves 71 which receive the rib forming cord. The grooves of the two blocks must be in absolute registration while the separators are being ribbed and vulcanized, and therefore one of the blocks is provided with dowel pins such as shown at 7 0", which accurately center the two blocks.

In addition to the grooves 71 each upper block 71 is provided at its ends with slots or notches 71 which are in line with the grooves 71, and with shoulders or extensions 71 between the slots or notches 71", the thickness of these shoulders 71 being only about half the thickness of the block.

To form with this apparatus, ribs such as shown in Fig. 10, rubber covered or coated cord shown at 72 is laced back and forth through the grooves of the upper block in the manner shown in Figs. 13, 14 and 16. This is done by laying the cord along one of-the outermost grooves from one end to the other. then looping the cord under and around the adjacent shoulder 71". then bringing the cord back through the next groove to the end of the block from which the cord was started. then looping the cord around and under the proper shoulder 71 at that end of the block. then passing the cord along the third groove and under and around the shoulder at the other end of the block, etc.. until the cord is laced back and forth through all the grooves of the block, the two ends of the cord being held or fastened in any suitable way. Then after a flat separator plate, such as is used with the method first described, is placed on the lower block, the upper block with the cord laced through the slots thereof is placed down on the separator plate with the cords which project about half way out of the slots of the upper block bearing down on the face of the plate. A large number of the pairs of blocks with the intervening separator plates and with the cord applied to the upper block of each pair in the manner described, are placed in the frame 67, and then on top of the uppermost block is placed a Weight 73, and when this is done the frame with the blocks and separator plates and weight are placed on the receiving table, and at the proper time is moved from this table onto the conveyer chain and is passed through the vulcanizing chamber.

The frames 67 with the blocks, separator plates and rib forming cord are supplied to the chamber at one end as fast as they are removed from the other so that a large number of loaded frames will be passing through the vulcanizer at the same time, as illustrated in Fig. 11. In passing through the vulcanizer under the action of the heat and by the weight of the parts the ribs are molded in the plates in the manner illustrated in Fig. 15, and at the same time that the plates are vulcanized the rib forming cords are vulcanized to the plates.

. After the frame with the vulcanized separators 1s removed from the vulcanizer the cords are cut where they are looped about the shoulder 71 after which the separators can be removed from between the blocks and the excess cords extending beyond the ends of the separators can be trimmed off.

The length of the blocks between which the separators are placed can be made anything desired, that is to say, they can be long enough to accommodate simply a single separator plate as shown in Fig. 13, or to accommodate two or more plates. In Fig. 14.- is shown the upper slotted block havinga length sufiicient to accommodate side by side two separator plates. If two plates are ribbed and vulcanized between each pair of blocks. the cords must be cut apart between the separators after the vulcanizing and ribbingprocess. If blocks which accommodate two or more separator plates are employed, its is of course necessary to employ a vulcanizing chamber of suitable width, and to increase the width of the conveyer hain over that which would be required for the shorter blocks which accommodate a single separator plate.

The vulcanizing chamber of both Figs. 1 and 11 can be made any length desired, the length depending upon the time required for vulcanization and the speed at which the parts travel through the chamber, the length of the chamber and the speed at which they move through the same being such that they will be in the chamber a sufficient length of time to cause complete vulcanization.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, 1s:

1. The process of making ribbed separators for storage batteries which comprlses simultaneously pressing rib forming material'onto plates.

2. The process of making storage battery separators which comprises pressing rib forming material onto separator plates and simultaneously deforming the plates by pressure.

3. The method of forming storage battery separators which comprises compressing separator plates in vulcanizing molds so as to simultaneously press rib forming vmaterial against the plates and deform the plates, and vulcanizing the separators while in the molds.

4. The method of forming ribbed storage battery separators which comprises conveying separator plates through a heatlng chamber and s multaneously pressing rib forming material onto the plates.

5. The method of forming ribbed storage battery separators which comprises conveying storage battery plates composed at least in part of rubber through a heating cham-- ber and as they are passing through the chamber, pressing rubber coated cords onto the same.

6. The method of making ribbed storage battery separators which comprises conveying separator plates com-posed at least 1n part of rubber through a vulcanizing chamber and simultaneously pressing rib forming material onto one face of each of the plates so asto cause the material to be attached to the plates and to be embedded into the same.

7. The method of formingribbed storage battery separators which comprises pressing rib forming material onto the separator plates so as to cause said material to sink into one side of the plates and produce riblike rotuberances on the opposite side of the p ates.

8. The process of forming double ribbed storage battery separators which comprises premin rib material onto one side of separa'tor p ates formed at least in part of rubber so as to cause said rib material to be partly embedded in the plates and thereby distend the plates on the opposite side, and vulcanizing the plates and ribs While the pressure is applied.

separator plates and deforming the 9. The process of forming ribbed storagebattery separators which comprises conveying storage battery plates formed at least in part of rubber through a vulcanizing chamber, and while they are passing therethrough pressing rib forming material onto the plates.

10. The method of forming storage battery separators which com-prises conveying storage battery plates formed at least in part of rubber through a vulcanizing chamber, and pressing ribs into the lates as they are passing through the chain r and are being vulcanized.

the latter are passing through the chamber.

12. The method of making ribbed storage battery separators which comprises feeding to a heating chamber, storage battery separator plates formed at least in part of rubber and rib forming material formed at least in part of rubber, in such. a way that the rib material is applied to the plates, and conveying the plates through the chamber with the material applied thereto and simultaneously pressing the material onto the plates.

13. The method of making ribbed storage battery separators which comprises simultaneously feeding to a heated vulcanizing chamber, storage battery plates and rubber covered fibrous rib forming material, causing the rib forming material to be applied to" the plates, conveying the plates with the rib forming material applied thereto through the chamber, and simultaneously pressing the rib forming material onto the plates.

14. The method of making ribbed storage battery separators which comprises simultaneously feeding to a heated vulcanizing chamber, storage battery plates and rubber covered fibrous rib forming material, causing the rib forming matenal to be applied to the plates, conveying the plates with the rib forming material applied thereto through the chamber, and simultaneously pressing the rib forming material onto the plates with suflicient pressure to cause the same to be squeezed into the plates. 1

15. The method of making ribbed storage battery separators which comprises simultaneously feeding to a heated vulcanizing chamlber, storage battery plates and rubber covered filbrous rib forming material, causing the rib forming material to 'beapplied to the plates, conveying the plates with the rib forming material applied thereto through the chamber, and simultaneously pressing the rib forming material onto the plates with suflicient pressure to cause the former to be partlyembedded in the plates and to cause the plates opposite the rib forming material to be ressed or distended outwardly whereby ri s are formed on both sides of the plates.

16. The process of making ribbed storage battery plates which comprises coating fibrous cords with rubber, feeding the cords and also storage battery plates, formed at least in part of rubber, to a Vulcanizing chamber in such a manner that the cords are applied to the-plates, conveying the plates with the cords applied thereto through the chamber, and simultaneously pressing the cords and the plates together with sufficient are shaped to distor t the plates by pressing pressure that the cords are partly embedded ribs therein, and which hold the plates in 10 in the plates. the distorted position. until they have trav- 17. The method of forming vulcanized 'eled a sufiicient distance through thecharib' ri'bbed separators from flat separator plates her to have become thoroughly vulcanized. which comprises feeding the flat plates into In testimony whereof; I hereunto aflix my one end of a vulcanizing chamber between signature. Y I pairs of traveling rib forming blocks which HARRY L. BOYER. 

